Fascinatin' Rhythm: Capitol Sings George Gershwin

well done tribute to the immortal George Gershwin

Fascinatin' Rhythm: Capitol Sings George Gershwin is a pretty good album but there are one or two flaws. The quality of the sound is quite good; and the artwork is excellent. However, for those of us who want Gershwin's complete "Rhapsody In Blue;" you'll have to look elsewhere--I assume that time limitations on the CD made it impossible to record the full number here. Sigh. Oh, well.

Freddy Martin and His Orchestra play a shortened version of "Rhapsody In Blue;" we don't get the whole number but what they do play is absolutely beautiful. This is definitely my favorite rendition of this number! (Sssh, don't tell Gershwin!) In addition, we also get a fine treatment of "But Not For Me" by the great Margaret Whiting. Margaret sings this with grace and style and I really like this number. The horns do great on "But Not For Me," too. There's also The Nat King Cole Trio performing "Embraceable You;" Nat sings this with panache and his piano playing couldn't be better. Nat's voice never sounded better!

Ann Richards sings "I Got Rhythm" with a rather jazzy musical arrangement; her delivery plays with the tempo to allow Ann to place her own stamp on this classic ballad. Liza Minnelli's "I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise" is very elegant; Liza's younger voice is rich, warm and vibrant--terrific! "Nice Work If You Can Get It" is performed by Jeri Southern; and Jeri does a wonderful job on "Nice Work If You Can Get It." "'S Wonderful" is absolutely heavenly when the great Julie London sings it; I predict that you'll enjoy London's version of "'S Wonderful" very, very much.

Judy Garland sings "Swanee" from a live performance; Judy is totally in command and her rapport with her adoring audience is very positive. Impressive! "They Can't Take That Away From Me" by Peggy lee is perfectly done; Peggy Lee stands front and center and that's right where she belongs! This romantic Gershwin tune gets a fine treatment from the immortal Peggy Lee. June Christy also does a fabulous interpretation of "How Long Has This Been Goin' On;" June never skips a beat not does she ever sing a superfluous note!

Kate Smith contributes a fine rendition of "Who Cares (As Long As You Care For Me);" "Who Cares (As Long As You Care For Me)" still shines so brightly and Kate's delivery of this song is absolutely timeless. Keely Smith sings a great version of "The Man I Love;" and the CD ends strong with Anna Maria Alberghetti performing a wonderful rendition of "I've Got A Crush On You." "I've Got A Crush On You" by Anna Maria makes a strong ending for this album.

Gershwin fans will want this CD; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals will enjoy this CD as well.

Thank you, George Gershwin! We will never forget you!
May 9, 2008

It's Gershwin Time

Nice collection of music. Surprising how old recordings can be so update. I enjoyed it very much, but don't forget that I'n an early boomer. January 13, 2007

Great Gershwin CD!

I have been a Gershwin fan since my father introduced me to George Gershwin's music, when I was very young. This CD greatly enhances my Gershwin collection! September 23, 2005

Uneven, disappointing

I really wanted to like this CD. I have 'Capitol Sings Irving Berlin', which, although it has some disappointing tracks, is, overall, very enjoyable. But after listening to the Gershwin CD several times, I have to rate it as disappointing with just a few good tracks.

First of all: the first track, titled 'Rhapsody in Blue', isn't. It doesn't have the intro (famous clarinet solo); the entire first part of Gershwin's exciting piece is missing. What you have is a fragment of the work.

The tracks I enjoy include: Liza Minelli, with the best version of 'I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise' that I've ever heard, upbeat and swinging. Marian McPartland does a nice, jazzy, instrumental version of 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off'. And June Christy's "How Long Has This Been Goin' On' makes me want to hear more of her.

But Vic Damone just ruins 'Fascinatin' Rhythm', taking all the syncopation (and all the life) out of the song. And I can't listen to the last track -- it's soooo bad. January 2, 2003

Capitol's stars swing with the songs of George Gershwin

"Fascinatin' Rhythm," the Capitol Sings collection of George Gershwin tunes, begins with Freddy Martin and his Orchestra doing a version of "Rhapsody in Blue" to which you can swing your partner around the dance floor, perfectly capturing the charm of this series. Here are your favorite songs by our greatest composers often done in different ways from what you usually expect. But changing music style or tempo, adding percussions or strings, are what make these songs so enjoyable. Dorothy Donegan's "A Foggy Day" is a particularly jazzy version, but then Margaret Whiting's "But Not For Me" is big band style while Ann Richards does a very slow and sultry cover of "I Got Rhythm" (at least at the start). Sometimes the twist is that someone like Gordon MacRae sings "Summertime," a song he would certainly never get to do on stage in "Porgy & Bess" for a couple of rather obvious reasons. Like all the albums in this series, "Fascinatin' Rhythm" combines covers by big stars like Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee with lesser known artists such as Keely Smith, Jo Ann Greer, Dakota Staton and Marian McPartland (I guess I would have to put Anna Marie Alberghetti in the middle on this one). My favorite track on this album would be Judy Garland's live version of "Swanee," but "They Can't Take That Away From Me" is certainly one of Peggy Lee's best efforts. "Fascinatin' Rhythm" may be well be the most female artist dominated disc in the Capitol Sings collection, which for my money only adds to its enjoyment. February 10, 2001

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